The Wrong Person at the Door
by whovianwrites
Summary: When the Tardis accidentally lands in a wardrobe, no one expects what they see on either side of the door. Is it a case of the wrong person being there or the right person at the wrong time?
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note:_

_Does anyone else think that Boo from Monsters Inc. could be a younger version of Clara Oswald? I do and that's what inspired me to write this. _

_I'm writing this as though the two worlds have collided and neither has any knowledge of the other. In other words, the Monsters Inc. film does not exist in the whoniverse (well, my whoniverse at least) and vice versa._

_From Boo's point of view, the story is set after her door has been destroyed and she is still waiting for Sully to visit her again. While from the Doctor and Clara's viewpoint, it's set some time after the Name of the Doctor. Hope this helps to place my story. _

_Anyway, I'll shut up now and leave you to read it. Enjoy! :)_

* * *

No matter how long she travelled with the Doctor, Clara would still be full of joy whenever she visited a different time or place. The Tardis made the whooshing, groaning noise that signalled their arrival and Clara headed towards the doors with a grin on her face.

"Oh." Her face fell as she opened the doors to see black in front of her. It took a while for her eyes to adjust before she realised that it was another door in front of her surrounded by clothes.

"What's wrong?" the Doctor asked.

"We've landed in a wardrobe. And I don't mean one that's going to lead to Narnia. It's just a plain, ordinary wardrobe." Clara said as she closed the Tardis doors again.

The Doctor checked the scanners as though he didn't believe Clara. Then, he walked to the Tardis doors to see for himself. As he opened them, he let out a gasp of surprise. The wardrobe door had opened and a little girl with pigtails was standing there.

"Boo!" the little girl squealed happily.

The Doctor, already a little surprised, was about to pretend to the little girl that she had scared him. But, then she started to cry. He panicked. He wasn't really good with children this age. Babies were fine as he could speak baby and after meeting Angie and Artie, he felt a bit more confident in dealing with teenagers. So, the Doctor did the only thing he could and called for Clara, who was brilliant with kids of any age.

The Doctor didn't actually have to call Clara. As soon as Clara heard the crying, she instinctively knew she was needed. She peeked out of the door to see what was happening.

"Oh my stars!" Clara exclaimed before she collapsed.

"Clara!" The Doctor turned back as he heard her fall. He quickly checked her pulse and then was unsure what to do next. His head flipped back and forth between the crying child and his unconscious companion. His 27 brains had quickly deduced that Clara would be fine, she had just fainted. So, he knelt on the floor and turned his attention to the little girl.

"Not Kitty," the little girl kept on saying between sobs.

"Kitty?" The Doctor questioned.

"Kitty. Boo. Kitty not here."

"Shhh, it's alright. Do you want a jammy dodger?" He felt Clara stir beside him before she fainted again. He felt in the pocket of his tweed jacket for a jammy dodger that he was saving for later. "Now, this is a special biscuit-"

He stopped as he realised that the little girl's shouts were getting louder. Perhaps it was time to leave. He involuntarily shuddered at the awkward questions he would face if he was found in the little girl's bedroom especially as he seemed to have upset said little girl.

"Not Kitty," the little girl pointed insistently at the Doctor.

Although he had no clue who or what this Kitty was, the Doctor was beginning to understand why she was crying. "Ah. This is Kitty's door, isn't it? Kitty isn't here, we are instead. Well, we'll just go then and I'm sure Kitty will be along soon."

The girl stopped crying.

"Well, bye then. Don't forget to eat your jammy dodger before Kitty gets here and eats it instead," he said with a wink. He could have sworn that the girl smiled back at him as he stood up and entered the Tardis. But his mind was focused on other things. Mainly getting them back into the vortex so that he could check Clara was alright.

It was the sound of the Tardis dematerialising that made Clara wake up. The Doctor rushed over and hugged her tightly.

"Clara, are you alright?"

"Is the little girl OK?"

The Doctor smiled. Typical Clara, always thinking of others before herself. It was one of the reasons why he loved her so much. "Yeah. She was just upset that we weren't her Kitty, whatever that is. But, that's not important at the moment. You are. Why did you faint?"

Clara responded with a question of her own. "Did you notice anything familiar about that little girl?"

The Doctor shook his head and looked very perplexed. Clara took her phone out of her pocket and began searching for a photo.

"She's the spitting image of me when I was about three."

The Doctor's mouth dropped open in shock. Clara had found the photo and held it out so the Doctor could see. The resemblance between that little girl and young Clara was uncanny. Why didn't the Doctor notice that before? After all, he had seen Clara at various points throughout her life.

"No way!" He exclaimed. "Are you- is she- I mean... she can't be... is she?"

"That's the thing. Kitty doesn't ring any bells and I definitely would have remembered the Tardis arriving in my wardrobe. So, that means that she isn't one of my echoes."

"But, that's..."

"Impossible!" They both said with a laugh.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's__ Note:__ I wanted to continue with this story because I felt an explanation was needed for why Clara and Boo look so much like each other. The remainder of the story will focus mainly on the Eleventh Doctor and Clara and will be told over two chapters as I want time to develop the story. Bear in mind as you're reading it that not everything is as it seems. Ooh, and on that cryptic and enigmatic note, I'll leave you to continue reading. Have fun!_

* * *

Although the situation wasn't that funny, it was several minutes before Clara and the Doctor stopped laughing. The Doctor, being ever curious, felt an urge to explore exactly why Clara and that little girl looked so alike. Clara, on the other hand, was perfectly happy to think of their resemblance as a fluke that required no explanation.

"Come on, Chin," she said as she picked herself off the floor, "We have an adventure to go on. Let's see if you can land somewhere that isn't a wardrobe."

The Doctor stood up and rubbed his hands. He began to babble excitedly but inside he was thinking that after he had dropped Clara off, he would solve the mystery of that little girl. "Now, you mentioned Narnia earlier. We can't go there unfortunately. It really is a made up place. We could visit CS Lewis though. Or we could go to this snowy forest that looks a bit like Narnia. I've been there before but I think it's a lot safer now. There's no talking lions though. I suppose if you want talking animals, we could visit the zoo on Trindouzia. Never been there. I wonder if they'll let me adopt a giraffe. Clara, are you alright?"

He had just noticed that Clara had gone deathly pale and was cradling her stomach.

"Yeah. I think I'm still recovering from the shock of seeing that girl. She looked so much like me."

"Oh." The Doctor was full of concern for his impossible girl. "Maybe we could have a break before we set out. I'll make us some tea. Why don't you head to the library and I'll meet you there?" He said as he made his way to the kitchen.

"OK." Normally her reply would have been more wordy but Clara was stunned by the Doctor's reaction. For a start, he accepted what Clara told him and didn't pull out his sonic screwdriver to scan her to find out what was wrong. He also was willing to rest for a while when normally he would always be on the go. Wow, he must really like me, Clara thought happily as she walked to the library.

In truth, of course the Doctor really liked her but the reason he didn't scan her was because he already had an inkling about what was wrong with Clara. He contemplated it further while he watched the kettle boil. His hands were subconsciously reaching in the cupboards for a packet of Jammy Dodgers as he made some connections and deductions. In his mind, there were two possibilities why Clara had fainted and it wasn't entirely to do with that little girl, at least he hoped not.

A few minutes later, the Doctor entered the library carrying a tray of tea and Jammy Dodgers. Clara was sitting on a sofa and looked at him with a smile on her face.

"Thank you," she said as she took a cup.

The Doctor placed the tray on the table and sat down next to Clara. He was studying her intently.

"Hang on, you better not be bribing me so you can scan me." She said suspiciously as she looked at him.

"Clara, it's a cup of tea. What? So I can't make you a cup of tea now? I don't know; you do something nice for someone and they think you're trying to bribe them." He continued to chunter on until he spotted the teasing look on her face. "Oh, shut up."

Clara smirked as she took a sip of her drink.

"Besides, I already know what's up with you," he said quietly and a little bit smugly.

"What?"

"I said that out loud, didn't I?"

Clara put down her cup on the table with an audible thump and turned to face the Doctor. "Yes you did. Now, what is up with me, chin boy?"

Under her withering glare, the Doctor began to falter. "Well, er, you fainted because you saw a mini-version of you who isn't you-"

"I told you that," Clara snapped. Her tone changed when she saw that the Doctor looked slightly worried. "There's something else, isn't there?"

The Doctor blushed slightly as he wondered how to phrase it. And Clara realised he wasn't worried but embarrassed. He began to mumble something and Clara had to ask him to repeat what he said.

"I said it's your time of the month."

Clara's mouth dropped open as she silently did the maths. "How do you know that?"

"Clara, I'm 1200 years old and I've travelled with other women long enough to know the signs."

Clara was thoughtful for a while as she picked up her cup again. "I suppose that means our trip is going to be put on hold. I need to sort myself out. Can you give me half an hour?" She said as she stood up taking her cup with her.

"You still want to come with me today?" The Doctor asked hopefully.

"Yeah. It's Wednesday, our day. I'm not going to let..." Clara paused, unsure of how to continue, knowing it was a subject that would embarrass them both. "...well, you know, spoil my day. I just need to pop back to my flat for a bit."

"I suppose you'll want a lift then," the Doctor grinned as he stood up and followed Clara.

"Please. And then we can go to that talking animal zoo on - where was it again?"

"Trindouzia," the Doctor said as they walked into the console room and he began to set the coordinates.

"Well, see you in a bit," Clara said as the Tardis materialised outside her flat. "Save me some Jammy Dodgers," she called over her shoulder as she left the Tardis.

The Doctor sincerely hoped he was right about Clara.


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as Clara had left, the Doctor set the Tardis controls. Firstly, he set up a temporary perception filter hologram so that if Clara happened to look out of her window, she would still see the Tardis even though it would not be there. Then he entered a new set of coordinates. He was ready to go. This time, he actually used the blue stabilisers so the Tardis didn't make a noise when she dematerialised. It was very important that Clara did not realise the Doctor had left, even if it was only for a short while.

The Doctor had to go. He had to find out who that little girl in the wardrobe was. Somehow, she was linked to Clara. The Doctor had one or two suspicions about this connection and needed to know for sure how the two were connected. He decided that it would be best if the Tardis didn't land again in that little girl's wardrobe at night so the Old Girl materialised a few days after the wardrobe incident, relatively speaking from the point of view of the little girl. Obviously, for the Doctor it had been mere minutes.

Once the Tardis had landed, he stepped out of the box. He was parked on a street of houses in what looked to be quite a nice suburb. He looked around for a bit and then spotted the little girl. She was on a porch, asleep in her pushchair. The Doctor's hearts leapt as he saw how adorable she looked with her pigtails, pink top and leggings. Her nose was crinkled up much the same way Clara's nose does when she's sleeping. The Doctor studied the sleeping toddler for several seconds making a mental note of all the other similarities between her and Clara. He was startled out of her reverie as a door opened and a young woman stepped out of the house and started making a fuss of the sleeping child. With a sinking feeling, the Doctor's suspicions seemed to be confirmed. There was no doubt about it; that woman was Clara.

At that moment of realisation, there were so many thoughts and emotions running through the Doctor's mind. He was in two minds whether he wanted Clara to notice him or not. He was thinking of leaving but his feet seemed to be stuck to the pavement. He realised that this was in Clara's future because she looked slightly older than he had ever seen her. He began to panic at the thought of having too much foreknowledge. How could he face the present-day Clara after knowing part of her future? Was it his future too? The Doctor had no idea whether he would figure in Clara's future and it upset him slightly to think that he might not have a place there. He also felt a bit of jealousy towards whoever the girl's father was. Unless...

The Doctor gasped slightly as he remembered the night after Trenzalore. He had just said goodbye to River and Clara was recovering from entering his timestream so naturally, they needed comfort. One thing led to another and they found themselves the morning after tangled up together in bed. It was awkward for a while but they were able to talk to each other about it. They hadn't been together in that way since. But there was a sort-of agreement between them that it could happen again if they were both in the right frame of mind and if they weren't so busy chasing aliens all the while. He smiled slightly at that promise but was immediately brought back down to Earth as he realised the dangers of Clara being pregnant with his child. It would be like baby Melody all over again. He shuddered at the thought. If Clara was pregnant, he has to get back to her and protect her. Plus, he thought grimly, it will be hard on her to be carrying a child that's part Timelord. He was about to re-enter the Tardis when he heard Clara's voice drift over.

She was pushing the pushchair while speaking on the phone. "Unbelievable, Dad. You look after Mary for a few days and suddenly she wants a cat, or kitty as she calls it... That's all I hear from her. Kitty this, kitty that... Yeah, she's asleep now. Hopefully, she'll sleep better and won't have nightmares now her mommy's back... I'm hoping it's just a phase...Alright then, speak to you later. Bye."

She hung up the phone and then spotted the Doctor standing there. From the way she looked at him, it seemed like she didn't recognise him. But, he still felt like a deer in headlights and was thinking fast about what to do. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and his psychic paper.

"Clara Oswald?" He questioned calmly even though his hearts were beating fast.

"No. Clare Oswin. Well, technically, I'm Clare Gibbs at the moment until my divorce comes through" she said.

He showed his psychic paper to her. "Ah, yes. Sorry. I read it wrong. Anyway, I'm from the town council and I've just come to inform you that someone will be along in a few days to check on your energy supply. Yes, statutory checks have to be done on a regular basis" He was babbling again to cover his relief that this was an echo of Clara.

"You can check it now if you want."

"Sorry, different departments. You know what bureaucracy's like." He shrugged.

Clare smiled knowingly as she went on her way pushing the pushchair past the Doctor. Once they were out of sight, the Doctor stepped back into the Tardis. He breathed a huge sigh of relief as he set the Tardis to return to his Clara. Clara was not pregnant. That little girl was the daughter of one of Clara's echoes and not Clara's. It was amazing how good it was to know that. It struck him that perhaps he would meet that echo of Clara again because she hadn't told him to run and remember her. But then again, maybe not. He remembered Clara telling him that a couple of her echoes led fairly normal lives and that she tended to forget about those because they didn't involve him. He smiled at the thought of her memories only being of him.

His smile got wider as the Tardis materialised outside Clara's flat. He had only been gone a couple of minutes, if that. His cup of tea in the library would still be warm. He went to fetch it and had just finished it when Clara walked into the Tardis.

"OK, you were right, Doctor. It is my time of the month, as you call it" The Doctor let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding in; he was so relieved. As Clara closed the Tardis door, she saw him in the corner of her eye. "And you can stop straightening your bowtie, you smug idiot."

The Doctor laughed. Clara turned to him and smiled.

"So, Trindouzia, yeah?" The Doctor began dancing around the console. After all that he had been through today, he decided that perhaps it was time to address his relationship with Clara. "And then I was thinking I could take you on a date."

"A date?" Clara repeated in wonder. Did this mean what she thought it meant?

The Doctor nodded.

"Will there be cocktails?"

"On the moon."

"The moon will do."

"So is that a yes, Miss Oswald?"

"Depends if you've left me any jammy dodgers," Clara teased.

The Doctor smiled widely. He was so happy to be with the real Clara, his Clara.


End file.
